The Completed Second Half
Yugioh "Sevenfold" bit 23, Green: Pride (complete second half)
Seto/Anzu
II.
"Oh yeah, that would be awesome," Mokuba said. "I've always wanted to be able to fly."
Fly...
To fly, to feel the wind rushing past him, feel the cool, clear air all around... What a sensation. If only he could have wings. Of course Mokuba wanted to fly; who wouldn't? The other two were still talking calmly, but Seto's mind was racing. Just thinking about that open space... that empty blue sky! God, it was stifling in the car, on the ground - hot, hot with no freedom, no freedom at all.
Maybe if he rolled down the window... No! The roof - the roof opened; he could open it up to the air... the fresh, outside air! He could fly, his head stuck out the top of the car. It was too crowded, too hot - he needed space. He loosened his tie. But still he felt too confined. He loosened it a little more and undid the first few buttons of his shirt. Anzu and Mokuba were still talking, but his head was buzzing - he couldn't hear a word.
So he pressed a button on the door and soon the roof was rolling open.
Of course, it did not go unnoticed. "Whoa!" Mokuba said excitedly. "Look, there's a hole in the roof. It's opening up! That's so cool. Seto, did you do that?"
He nodded to his little brother.
Anzu laughed. "Yes, Mokuba - I think it's something called a moonroof."
Mokuba looked to Seto for confirmation; he grunted in assent.
But Seto didn't really care what it was called. He didn't care what it was, where it was, or anything at all about it - all he cared about was getting out into the air. He slipped the tie off his collar so it hung just around his neck. He stood up as far as he could and moved to the middle. Mokuba scooted to his left, thinking that his brother wanted to sit down.
Instead of sitting down, though, Seto climbed up and stood on the seat. Anzu and Mokuba exchanged confused looks, wondering what in the world the man between them was up to.
Seto felt wonderful, the upper part of his body out of the car, wind rushing all around him. He undid the rest of his shirt buttons, then took it off - he didn't bother to throw it back down into the car; he tossed it off behind the car so it went flying behind them like a fallen feather. He spread his arms out wide, the green silk tie flapping at his neck, trailing like a tail at his shoulder.
"Seto," Anzu called from the car, "what are you doing? And what was that thing that just flew off - did your shirt come off?"
"Yes, I took it off. Tell the driver to go faster."
"What?"
"Faster!"
Where amusement had been in her voice, there was suddenly worry. "I don't think that's a good idea. Why don't you come down and sit back here with us in the car? What are you doing up there anyway?"
He closed his eyes and began to laugh. "I'm flying."
Mokuba laughed with him. "Nii-sama, you're so weird! Let me go up there, too!"
Anzu put a gentle hand on his knee. "Why don't you stay down here, Mokuba - I don't know if there's enough room for both of you."
"Aww, it looks like there is! Come on, let me - "
"Mokuba, please." She looked up Seto's legs to where the curved top of the car ended and his torso stuck out into the air. "Just stay down here. I'm not sure your brother's completely in his right mind. Did you see him drink anything? Any wine or beer?"
"He's never in his right mind," Mokuba muttered. But to Anzu, he shook his head. "He did get drunk once at a business meeting, and it was so embarrassing for him that he never, ever drinks at those things."
Anzu's brows furrowed. "Then what is the matter with him?"
Mokuba shrugged. Seto often did strange things, and he rarely - if ever - offered anyone who worried or cared about him an explanation. But surely Seto wouldn't do anything too reckless - after all, they were in a moving car!
Suddenly, Seto's voice shouted down the them again. "Faster - I said I wanted to go faster! What the hell is wrong with this driver? Tell him to go faster, or he's fired." He felt so free - so alive! It was bliss; he felt like a young god - soaring on a cloud, carried away from a glorious battle. Nothing could touch him. He was strong; he was free.
But suddenly it wasn't enough. He was rich, he was beautiful - he was, he was a young god! So why shouldn't he really fly? He had always had good balance as a child; surely he could stay up even if the car was moving. It wasn't dangerous unless he wasn't careful - the only danger was falling off. And he knew how to be careful - he wouldn't fall!
He braced his arms against the top of the car and started to hoist himself up.
Anzu gasped. "Seto... Seto, come down! Don't you dare climb on top of this car!" She grabbed hold of his ankle. "I know you're just kidding, Seto - and ha, ha, you really had me going. But get down now - this has gone far enough. Please, Seto, come down."
He ignored her and shook his leg to loose her hold. "Let go, Anzu - I'm fine." He sounded excited - almost calm, really, except with an undercurrent of anticipation. "I'll do what I want." He pulled his leg up, regardless of Anzu's hand - which had tightened around him - and reluctantly, she was forced to let go.
"I'm worried!" she said. "You're going to get hurt." If only she was stronger... She should have pulled him back! Why he wanted to sit out on top of a car she didn't know, but there was no way she was going to let him get hurt because of his own arrogance and stupidity.
"I'm not going to get hurt," he told her. "Not me. How could I? Stop worrying, damn it - I'll be fine."
He was kneeling on the roof. Already they were going at a good speed, and the wind stung - it was almost painful in the way it whipped past his face. He looked ahead. The road was mostly dark - the car's headlights illuminating only a few feet ahead. It was magnificent.
He raised himself up onto his feet, still squatting down. He put his arms out on either side, like wings - eyes shut, his whole being euphoric.
And slowly, slowly, slowly... he stood.
He couldn't tell the car was slowing. He couldn't hear anything - the other cars, Mokuba's yelling out the window... Everything was background noise to the pounding of blood in his ears.
It was perfect. In his mind, nothing could go wrong.
But the roof was slippery. And his balance wasn't as good as he had imagined.
When he tumbled hard off the car, it was Anzu's scream he heard - not his own.
XXXXXX
Before the car had even come to a complete halt, Mokuba was stumbling out, running as hard as he could to his brother. "Seto! Nii-sama, nii-sama, nii-sama! Oh please be okay." He choked back a wet sob as he knelt down on the wet grass by his brother. "Are you awake?"
Seto groaned. "Fuck. My leg. I think it's broken. Where's Anzu?"
"I'm here! I'm right here!" She ran up to him, plopping down beside him, ignoring the damage the wet grass would do to her dress. The ground was dark, a green that was almost black. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly in her own. "Are you okay? Oh Seto, why did you do something so stupid?"
He sat up slowly, two supporting hands on his back. "I'm..." He coughed. "I'm going to vomit." Mokuba and Anzu scooted away a little as he retched out the contents of his stomach. "It hurts so badly - is my leg broken?"
"Probably," Anzu said honestly. "It looks pretty mangled." It was bent in an odd way and she was amazed he wasn't crying or screaming out in pain.
"That was so stupid!" Mokuba said angrily. "Nii-sama, how could you do that?" Hot tears were dripping down his little face. "That was so stupid..."
Seto lay back down in the grass and groaned again. "I'm feeling the effects, so I think I'm pretty aware of that. My leg... is it broken?"
"Don't speak," Anzu said, her tone soft but commanding. "The driver called the hospital and I'm sure they'll be here soon." She wiped his mouth and sighed. "Just hang on, Seto - just hang on a little longer."
-Then a small continuation scene:
III.
None of his injuries were serious, but it was a severe wake-up call to those that cared about him. No more ignoring the signs.
Anzu and Mokuba came to the hospital every day they could. They didn't chastise him, though both dearly wanted to. It was too hard seeing him torn up - his fibia had been broken, and he had gotten a concussion. The fool! Anzu couldn't be grateful enough that the driver had slowed the car down when he did.
If they had been going faster... or if Seto had fallen off the other side of the car...
She didn't want to think about it. She blamed herself - if only she had tried harder to stop him. But it was just so reckless - so stupid! She hadn't really believed he'd stand up on top of the car until it was too late to prevent it. Something was seriously wrong with him; after what Mokuba had told her about his breakdown a few months previously, she was convinced that he needed serious help. If only he wasn't so damn proud!
She talked to a doctor and asked for a psychiatric evaluation. The odd behavior had been going on for a long time, and she wasn't going to let him hurt himself with that wild recklessness just because he was too proud to admit that he had a problem.
After the doctor left, she nervously opened the door and stepped into the room. Mokuba was asleep, curled into a ball on the worn-out chair right under the window. She shut the door softly and went over to the bed. With a smile, she sat down on the side with his uninjured leg. "So?"
He grunted and didn't meet her eyes. "I'll be fine. They're discharging me tomorrow."
She smiled. He knew what she meant. "But what did the other doctor say?"
"Oh, you mean the fucking psychologist you had come in here?"
"Yes, him."
Seto sighed and nudged Anzu with his foot. "Why did you - "
Her expression tightened into a frown. "You tried to stand on top of a moving car, Seto, and you thought that nothing would happen to you! You're not fine, whatever you say - and I'm only trying to help you. For your own sake. For mine. For Mokuba's."
He didn't answer, just stared off towards the wall. He could sense she still wanted an answer. "I talked to him, all right?"
"And what did he say?"
"It's... treatable." He sighed and sighed, a tired hand going up to his face. He needed to shave, she noticed - and he looked ridiculous in his hospital gown. He must be going mad, cooped up all day. She felt a wave of empathy; it must be maddening for him to be trapped there because of his own actions.
"What is it?" She took his hand. He held it to his mouth and softly kissed her palm. "It doesn't matter, Seto - I won't think you're crazy or - "
He shook his head and laughed, though there was little humor there. "No, I'm not crazy. Just slightly ill - bipolar, apparently."
"Well." She smiled. "I think I can deal with that."
***
I have to write part one and then I'll be through. *wipes brow* This is going to be the longest "Sevenfold" bit yet, I think. (Red: Lust was a little over 4000 words, though, so it may still end up being longer.)
-ILB
***
(-EDIT: I added more, so this isn't really ALL of what will make up the second half.)